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"Photorealistic" AI lighting sparks immediate controversy
First look: Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang used his GTC 2026 keynote to unveil the next stage of machine learning-driven video game graphics, which substantially transforms lighting and the overall visuals of a game using generative AI. Although the company's demonstration showcased dramatic increases in detail in titles such as Resident Evil Requiem and Starfield, it immediately drew sharp reactions from users, many of whom compared the results to AI-generated video footage.
Affinity's latest update to introduces Light UI for a brighter and cleaner workplace, Convert to Curves to eliminate manual tracing by transforming objects into a fully editable vector curves, and Live Tone Blend Groups which blends layers dynamically and non-destructively.
Popular Photoshop alternative GIMP has been updated to feature non-destructive Link and Vector Layers, an upgraded MyPaint Brush tool, and expanded file format support including SVG export. The update also brings UI and stability improvements.
A hot potato: For more than a decade, the Xbox One stood as a remarkable exception in console security – a machine long considered impervious to hacking attempts. That reputation is now over. At the RE//verse 2026 conference, security researcher Markus "Doom" Gaasedelen unveiled what he calls the "Bliss" double glitch, a voltage-based exploit that entirely undermines Microsoft's most fortified console platform.
Connecting the dots: Pokémon Go's global AR craze is now steering something far more prosaic than virtual Pikachu: real delivery robots trying to find the right doorway on a crowded city block. The same location data and street-level imagery that once anchored monsters to sidewalks and plazas have been repurposed by Niantic. Coco Robotics is now using that technology to guide its sidewalk bots through dense urban areas where GPS alone is too unreliable to keep them on course.
HandBrake is one of the most popular free video tools around, offering a powerful way to convert and compress video files. The open-source transcoder supports Windows, macOS, and Linux and can convert almost any video format into widely compatible codecs like H.264, H.265, AV1, MP4, or MKV.